QUESTION: In addition to the COVID 19 pandemic, there seems to be many crises that have impacted our business. We are unsure how to respond to these and balance the employee needs as well as our business requirements. Can you help guide us? ANSWER: No one is “ready” for a crisis, and we all […]
QUESTION: Smart phones are everywhere, and I must admit they are helpful in the operation of my company. The problem I am facing is the wasted time employees spend on their phones on non-job-related activities. I know that members of my staff spend work time on social media, playing games, and texting because I’ve caught […]
QUESTION: When I interview a potential candidate, I ask them how well they take criticism. I have never had anyone say that they do not take it well. Yet in reality, I find that when I criticize a staff member, they often get upset and some actually cry. They make the changes I suggest, but […]
QUESTION: I recently implemented a 401(k) plan for my staff. I used an inexperienced agent and found out later that the plan was missing some important components required by law. Before I could have it corrected, one of my staff contacted the Department of Labor and filed a complaint. I was extremely angry at her. […]
QUESTION: We are a large company with multiple locations and over 50 employees total. We comply with the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and have had a staff member who has recently experienced a significant loss. Her husband passed away suddenly last week – he was only 40. She was off last year on FMLA for the birth […]
QUESTION: I have a long-time staff member who is really good at her job…when she’s here. It doesn’t matter how much paid time off (PTO) she’s granted each year; she burns through it by the 3rd quarter of the year and then has no cushion left for unplanned absences (which she ends up taking without pay). […]
QUESTION: I had to shut down my company for a total of five (5) days due to extreme weather. No one came into work during that time. Since I was unable to generate any revenue during those days, I did not pay anyone for the time I closed. I have had a lot of complaints […]
QUESTION: I messed up. Last month in a moment of anger, I fired an assistant. She had been getting on my nerves. She had a snarky attitude and had made one sarcastic comment too many. I have had several discussions with her about the comments that I felt undermined me, but she did not change […]
QUESTION: I’m a new to human resources (HR) and I am trying to learn all I can. Can you share some common mistakes that HR professionals make and how to avoid them? ANSWER: At HRM Services, we’ve worked with organizations on their HR needs for well over a decade. Throughout the course of these […]